​​Inclusion and Accessible Services at the Town of BWG

Leisure Services Accessibility Programs

The Department of Leisure Services is committed to providing its entire community with high quality, accessible leisure opportunities for residents of all ages.  This will be achieved through the provision of accessible equipment/facilities, inclusion services and adapted programs.

Key Program Contacts

• Aquatics – Teresa Taylor, ext. 8401, email  
  
• Fitness – Stephanie Uren, ext. 8601, email 
  
• Leisure Programs – Nancy Shortill Thatcher, ext. 8301, email 
  
• Facilities Manager – Kevin Gale, ext. 8701, email 
  
• Parks and Property Manager – Mike O’Hare, 905-775-2162 ext. 5201, email 
  

Inclusion Support

• Assessment of Need – similar to how the school boards determine need for support.  The Town works with agencies locally – Catalpa, County of Simcoe, and Respite Services.
  
• Inclusion Support – Leisure Services provides one on one support for children in its summer camp and aquatic camp programs.  
  
• Medical Needs – while the department staff do not provide direct medical intervention, staff are able to accommodate specific needs with individuals following a discussion with each client and the agency and supervisor.
  
• Age Exemptions – while most programs provided have age specifics, accommodations can also be made here with a discussion with the supervisor and the client. 
  
• Mediator Cards – if one requires the support of another person to participate in an activity – staff can work with the individual to provide a free mediator card/pass that stays with the client in case the mediator changes so that access can continue for the client.
  

Adapted Programs

The Aquatics Centre utilizes the Red Cross Special Needs Swim Lesson program – following a completion of the applicable medical form, staff can ensure a meaningful program experience matching up a client with a trained swim instructor.

Facility Features: BWG Leisure Centre - 471 West Park Avenue

• Main Building 
  
• Automatic doors at entry
• Elevator access to second floor
• Accessibility signage throughout the building
• Pool
  
• 2 pool lifts
• Ramp access to leisure pool
• Main floor pool gallery – accessible seating areas
• Second floor pool gallery – accessible entrance
• Fitness Centre
  
• Equipment available for all facility users
• Fitness centre all on one level
• Elevator access
• Wide pathways for mobility
• Priority seating outside of second floor fitness entrance
• Fitness centre always supervised
• Change Rooms
  
• Lockers accessible to all patrons
• Accessible private room in family change room
• Hoyer lift available in family change room
• Accessible showers and rest rooms
• Gymnasium
  
• Accessible wheelchair entrances
• Ice Rinks
  
• Accessible viewing areas – ice level, gallery level
• Accessible showers and rest rooms in dressing rooms

 Facility Features: Bob Fallis Sport Centre - 2961 10th Sideroad, R.R.#1

• Accessible door openers at the main entrance
  
• Accessible washrooms in the main lobby
  
• Accessible arena viewing area in the main lobby
  

Public Library and Cultural Centre Accessibility

The Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library strives to be accessible to all members of the community.  Staff members have received customer service training in compliance with the AODA in order to provide exceptional service to patrons of all abilities.

Facility Features – 425 Holland Street West

Our facilities are up to date with the latest standards including: 

• Five priority parking spaces
  
• Wide doorways and automatic door openers at both entrances
  
• Wide aisles between book shelves
  
• Accessible washrooms at the library’s entrance and on the first and second floors. There is also a family washroom on the first floor
  
• An elevator for movement between floors
  
• Large format keyboard for use in our public computer lab
  
• Two VictorReader DAISY playback devices, one of which was generously supplied by the Friends of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library
  
• Height adjustable self-checkouts
  

Website

On the left side of every page on our site are toggle switches to convert the site to high contrast or grayscale, or to increase the size of website text.

For keyboard navigation, there are quick links at the top of every page that allow you to skip directly to the main content of any page, the navigation menu or our site map. Drop down menus and menu highlighting allow you to access and select pages from anywhere within the navigation menus.

Our website is a portal to all our online resources. From home you can borrow e-books, e-audiobooks, and popular e-magazines, as well as stream movies, and access useful student and consumer databases.

Services

• Homebound Service – The library offers Homebound services to borrower who are unable to come to the library due to infirmity or disability.  The service is offered to residents of Bradford West Gwillimbury who have no other means of picking up and returning library materials, and no one else available to do so for them.  
  
• Centre for Equitable Library Access - The Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library offers access to the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) collection for people who have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical or learning disability. With over 200,000 items in accessible formats, the CELA collection represents Canada's largest collection of alternative format books and online resources. The collection is in both English and French and includes:  
  
• Books and magazines in audio, eText and braille
• More than 50 community, national and international newspapers
• Descriptive films and television programs
• Children's picture books with added Braille
• Canadian content and other resources for all ages and interests.

Collections

The library offers a wide range of materials in alternate formats for customers with visual impairments, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

• Large Print Books
  
• Literacy Collection
  
• Audiobooks
  
• EBooks, eAudiobooks
  
• CELA Deposit collection
  

General Municipal Operations Accessibility

All municipal services will be delivered with accessibility in mind. If you have questions about a specific municipal service or would like to make an Accommodation Request please contact the Clerk’s Division by email or call 905-775-5366.